For me the best drummer is the current drummer Pete Parada! Thanks Pete!

jsmak84

07-09-2012, 11:59 AM

Pete!!!!!!!!!!!!!

sneedo83

07-09-2012, 12:57 PM

Although Josh Freese isn't an official member, to pick against him saying that any of these guys are better drummers is absurd.

Of the official drummers though that have least played live I'd say Atom, even if he's flakey and bails on bands all the time, he was exciting to watch and just plain rocked!

I've seen him with The Offspring and Social Distortion, he stole the show with both bands.

Mojo

07-09-2012, 04:07 PM

Technically, Josh Freese is the best drummer on this list. It should be undisputed that he is the best technical drummer that's ever been a 'part' of the band. I would argue that he's one of the best rock drummers ever. I've seen him live several times with The Vandals & was blown away by his talent. The many other famous acts he's been a part of as well (both live and in studio) can attest to his skill.

However, Ron Welty probably holds the most sentimental value among fans since he was the 'face' of Offspring percussion for the longest time & throughout the band's hey-day.

Omni

07-09-2012, 04:36 PM

Dexter beat the drums for a little bit as Manic Subsidal, but not the Offspring. There's even a video of him doing so.

Josh Freese is the "best," pretty much hands down. But Ron is the most popular because he's what most people were accustomed to.

Godxilla

07-09-2012, 05:37 PM

You're all making sense. Josh is skilled, Ron is classic, Pete's cool, and Dexter is perfect. It's been a good debate so far, and I haven't even voted yet! Keep it up!

Mojo

07-09-2012, 09:34 PM

Who else remembers when the website was advertising CO1 as Ron's "Best drumming album yet!"? The band stated this before it came out. Yes, his drumming sounds pretty solid on the album, but it's not noticably his "best work ever!." Oh, and then he left the band. Pretty obvious they were kissing Ron's ass because they knew he wanted to leave! Anyone else remember this or agree?

frunsi

07-10-2012, 12:20 AM

Ron is too damn overrated among Offspring fans. Seriously, what makes him so great? He can't even play the standard punk beat (you know, the one that NOFX, Pennywise, Strung Out and others are overusing).
I think Pete is the best.

Krojd

07-10-2012, 01:53 AM

Ron is too damn overrated among Offspring fans. Seriously, what makes him so great? He can't even play the standard punk beat (you know, the one that NOFX, Pennywise, Strung Out and others are overusing).
I think Pete is the best.

I think Ron can't play drums at all. That's why he did it for so long. Also it's too bad he couldn't play the overused standard punk beat to overuse the beat even more... Are you trolling me?

Upgrayedd

07-10-2012, 02:11 AM

Ron is too damn overrated among Offspring fans. Seriously, what makes him so great? He can't even play the standard punk beat (you know, the one that NOFX, Pennywise, Strung Out and others are overusing).
I think Pete is the best.

What beat are you referring to? Can you post a link to a song with it or name a specific song? I think I know the beat but I'm not sure. Anyway, I doubt any of Offspring's drummers were playing to the best of their ability. I haven't heard anything too difficult from the bands you mentioned and would be very surprised if Ron couldn't play a pretty standard drum beat.

Hey Man Where's Everybody

07-10-2012, 06:42 AM

I'm just going to copy (a revised version of) the post I made in a similar thread.

The best drummer who's ever played with The Offspring is definitely Josh Freese. There's just no question. The man is a monster on the drums, combining power and precision like Topper Headon during the "Give 'Em Enough Rope" period. It's a shame the band never got him behind the kit for a live show (did they?).

Second, I'm gonna say Ron. Say what you will about his stage demeanor (he seemed pretty stoic and reserved, but not any more than Greg) but he was a veritable human metronome, manning a tight and economical rhythm section that never let up. It's no coincidence that he was the drummer who spent the longest time with the band-- all those years of bashing away at the kit allowed him to perfect a very specific playing style that worked wonderfully with the music they made between 1992 and 2000.

Third is Atom Willard, for sheer energy and enthusiasm, as well as the ability to reproduce Josh Freese's drum parts live.

Pete is a good drummer, but I find his hitting a little loose, his bass drum a little sloppy and his cymbal work facile. He bashes out quarter measures instead of eights, which is understandable and helps with stamina (as someone else pointed out, Atom did this too, from time to time), except the band isn't playing much longer shows than they were while Ron was around. He still has time to prove himself, but right now I'm going to say he's by far my least favorite drummer the band has had.

Thomas

07-10-2012, 11:12 AM

If we are going by sheer talent, then Josh wins by a landslide. Like, it's not even close. There's a very good reason that he's the most sought-after studio drummer in the world. All the other guys who have played for the offspring can't come close to playing the stuff he can do when he's at the top of his game.

Who else remembers when the website was advertising CO1 as Ron's "Best drumming album yet!"? The band stated this before it came out. Yes, his drumming sounds pretty solid on the album, but it's not noticably his "best work ever!." Oh, and then he left the band. Pretty obvious they were kissing Ron's ass because they knew he wanted to leave! Anyone else remember this or agree?

Actually, I would say Co1 actually was Ron's best drumming. His timing and touch was vastly improved in this one over older albums. In a couple songs from previous albums, you can actually blatantly hear him play out of time. Like, often when playing the standard "punk" beat, his snare hits would start off a verse on the "and" of every beat, and by the end of the verse, they would often end up on the downbeat, or vice-versa (see: It'll be a Long Time, Something to Believe In, Mission From God, Have You Ever). His work on Co1 was by far the most solid and in-time playing he's ever done, and some of his fills on the album were actually quite difficult to pull off as well as he did.

frunsi

07-11-2012, 03:55 PM

What beat are you referring to? Can you post a link to a song with it or name a specific song? I think I know the beat but I'm not sure. Anyway, I doubt any of Offspring's drummers were playing to the best of their ability. I haven't heard anything too difficult from the bands you mentioned and would be very surprised if Ron couldn't play a pretty standard drum beat.
You know, the one with doubles on the bass drum:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BgHq5jGfoE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3liCmuiPTY

and I think I have mistaken Pete as drummer on all songs of Days Go By. I thought he played TFIN and HAS (of which i think that they are the hardest Offspring songs on drums aside of Long Way Home) but after reading the booklet I found out that Josh played on those tracks.
Btw, about accuracy and timing: i think Ron used quantization on CO1 to make the drumming sound tighter.

Unnatural Disaster

07-12-2012, 11:09 AM

I love Josh Freese. I wish he was able to be a member of the band full time.

JP Scralatchtica

07-13-2012, 06:06 PM

Overall, I like Pete the best! I've seen them twice with him and he had a great drum sound and nailed the songs better than what I've heard from Ron. Plus, he seems like the most down to earth guy.
Josh is insanely talented! I really started to pay attention to The Offspring's drums once he was in the studio.
I've got nothing against Ron because without him, we wouldn't have a lot of the classic Offspring jams, but I wouldn't put him at the top of this list just because of nostalgia.
And Atom was with the band for such a short time that he's hard to rate, IMO.

Godxilla

07-13-2012, 08:08 PM

Yeah, I just put in Atom because he was a member for a while, and someone surely would've hated it if I didn't. But he actually got some votes!
PS: are you named after the Incubus song Battlestar Scratchalactica, or whatever it's called?

Upgrayedd

07-13-2012, 08:57 PM

You know, the one with doubles on the bass drum:

Okay, yeah I never heard him do that. Do you think it's cause he couldn't or because the way he did fit better with their style? Also, are those being played with a double bass pedal or just one? I couldn't do it that fast with one foot (at least for long) but I'm kinda new to drums.

JP Scralatchtica

07-14-2012, 12:14 PM

Yeah, I just put in Atom because he was a member for a while, and someone surely would've hated it if I didn't. But he actually got some votes!
PS: are you named after the Incubus song Battlestar Scratchalactica, or whatever it's called?

Hahaha yeah, it's been my screen name forever! And a damn good song too!
You're one of the few ppl who have recognized it...or at least said anything to me about it.

Godxilla

07-14-2012, 12:29 PM

Cool! I love Incubus, so I just noticed it. It's not every day you see a word like that.

JP Scralatchtica

07-17-2012, 11:39 PM

Cool! I love Incubus, so I just noticed it. It's not every day you see a word like that.

Well, that is kinda cool that I found another Incubus fan here. I've actually never heard that particular song, but its name stuck to my mind like gum on a dugout ceiling. Sorry, baseball analogy. Maybe one of us should start an Incubus thread. Then we can sniff out other fans and continue this talk in a better spot. Either way, I'll definitely listen to that song for the first time, and (sadly), I'll undoubtedly be thinking about this forum.

Mark Rooster

07-18-2012, 10:35 PM

Josh Freese is probably the best drummer they've had, but I always thought Ron Welty did a good job. I wonder how much of the drum parts he came up with (like the simple but awesome beat from "Gotta Get Away") and how much input Dexter had.

Astonish

07-19-2012, 06:54 AM

Well actually I liked them all as drummers, but liked Atom more than the others. Interesting to put Dexter as a drummer too xD Actually for who has their Greatest Hits DVD, it's possible to watch a video there where Dexter is playing the drums :p

Scythe Death

07-19-2012, 11:06 AM

I listen to a lot of metal, metalcore, and such; The Offspring's drumming wasn't ever particularly impressive and never did I see Josh Freese as such an amazing drummer as everyone says. My appeal for The Offspring's music consisted mostly of the drive of the guitars and the lyrics.

Josh Freese's drumming may be a little bit more complex and 'precise' than other Offspring drummers, but I hardly ever see it as a satisfactory experience. I recall being very disappointed by the drums and overall instrumentation in Splinter. This is particularly prominent in songs such as Lightning Rod, which could have been played a lot better by a drummer better acquainted with metal such as Strung Out's drummer or a metalcore band's drummer such as A7x's the Rev.*

Overall, I find Josh Freese's drumming in The Offspring sterile and bland. I would have to say that the best drummer The Offspring ever had was Ron Welty then. That's not because he may be technically the most proficient, but rather probably because he got to play in songs where his drumming was better appreciated. It seems like The Offspring's older songs where Ron Welty is featured pull off better atmosphere. I actually recall stuff like the percussion in Nitro, Smash, Change the World, Americana, Me and My Old Lady, The Meaning of Life, Pay the Man, Crossroads, Original Prankster, Tehran, Staring at the Sun, etc in a good note. Stuff like that gets me air drumming. There was more atmosphere and drive, and the composition of the music seemed to consist of interaction between the drums and the other instruments moreso than with Josh Freese.

That is not to say that Ron Welty wasn't dull. Listening to The Offspring's faster songs, they tend to sound like a copy-paste of the same beat with little rolls in the same predictable spots. Maybe if Josh Freese got to play in the more eclectic and atmospheric songs, he could have done a better job, but I highly doubt it. I have the impression that Josh Freese really wasn't into it.

* We all know that The Offspring's music is distinctly heavy metal influenced, hence they're known for being a heavy punk band. Songs like Lightning Rod, which is predominantly heavy, could have been benefited from drumming from the type of drumming of other metal & punk fusion drumming such as the type I'm used to. Here are some examples of drumming metalcore that you may appreciate and in which you may identify similar styles to those in The Offspring and other heavy punk bands if you were never into metallic hardcore or metal.

Well actually I liked them all as drummers, but liked Atom more than the others. Interesting to put Dexter as a drummer too xD Actually for who has their Greatest Hits DVD, it's possible to watch a video there where Dexter is playing the drums :p

I like how everyone cites that clip as proof that Dexter was a drummer, he sat behind a drum kit for all we know one time, I played basketball in gym class in school, am I a basketball player?

Godxilla

07-19-2012, 07:26 PM

Yes. Just like how my history of playing baseball makes me a baseball player.

sneedo83

07-19-2012, 08:55 PM

I have your rookie card dude.

Godxilla

07-20-2012, 04:43 PM

And I yours.

WhenYouWerePunk.

07-21-2012, 11:19 AM

People don't give Pete enough credit - really nice guy, very versatile, great drummer (I remember when he was touring with Alkaline Trio and Saves the Day). However, I don't know how committed he is to the band - not to the extent I felt about Atom, who was an awesome drummer, but picked a really fucking stupid band to play for over Offspring. I like Ron for nostalgia though.